Time Will Tell
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: When Baileywick's famous pocket watch gets broken, Sofia and the twins will go to any length to restore it to its former glory.


Time Will Tell

Summary: When Baileywick's famous pocket watch gets broken, Sofia and the twins will go to any length to restore it to its former glory.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First, and I actually don't own a pocket watch either… Too bad! They're pretty cool. :)

A/N: THIS story has been in the back of my mind since at LEAST October of last year. I had the cover photo made months ago. The summary was written…and then I pushed it back as a ton of Cedric and Sofia stories came flashing at me. However, now I'm finally writing it. :D And since we all know how important Baileywick's pocket watch is to him, losing it in one form or the other is bound to end badly…right? Haha, enjoy!

A/N 2: In reference to "The Ties of Friendship," I got the message! Lol. I had intended to add in Cedric and James in the next chapter anyway, so don't worry. They WILL be in the story regardless. So far I can tell who the majority of you want to advise Rapunzel, and that's probably going to be the case. ;) In fact, I may have that chapter out by the end of the day, or at least before the weekend ends. :D

"Well, hello, Cedric," Baileywick greeted with a small smirk as the sorcerer shuffled into the dining hall, looking rather disheveled. "Bad day?"

"I'm not in the mood, Baileywick," he shot back, glaring at him. "I've lost my wand…"

The steward raised an eyebrow at him. "After Princess Sofia went through all the trouble of making you that lovely wand case?"

"No, not _that_ wand…my original wand has vanished. Poof! Gone." He looked pointedly at the older man. "You haven't seen it by any chance, have you?"

Baileywick scoffed lightly while arranging flowers on the table. "Now why would I have _any_ indication as to the whereabouts of a wand? You know I try my best to stay away from those things. One wrong move, and there's an accident waiting to happen."

"Tell me about it! That's why I'm trying to find it…" He sighed in frustration and ran his hands through his hair. "With my luck, Prince James will probably find it and cause more trouble than the day his father declared him the temporary king." He shuddered at the memory. "This is unbelievable…"

"You want to talk unbelievable…" Baileywick grinned somewhat jokingly. "I think this whole escapade has made you gain even _more_ gray hair, Cedric."

"It's not gray!" Cedric shot, glaring at him pointedly as he defensively curled his fingers into his hair. "It's _silver_—platinum silver. Why does _everyone_ make that mistake? Besides, it's only the bangs…"

"Perhaps you're in denial?" the taller man suggested with a flippant wave of his hand, making Cedric even more annoyed.

Cedric opened his mouth to retort before slowly smirking at him and lowering his arms to fold them across his chest. "All right then, Baileywick… What color would you say _your_ hair is?"

"…Fine. If you want to say it's silver, then by all means, say it's silver, for heaven's sake."

The sorcerer rolled his eyes before turning and wandering off. "If you see my wand by any chance, give it to Princess Sofia so she can bring it to me."

"Yes, of course," the steward mumbled busily as he continued his work. He sighed and wiped his brow before reaching into his vest to check his time. He froze, the color draining slowly from his face as he worriedly removed his beloved pocket watch from his outfit. He gasped, realizing the tiny item was quite silent rather than silently ticking. It was…broken.

"This can't be happening," he muttered in despair, looking around for potential help. No one was around at the moment, so he apparently was going to have to suffer a mini panic attack alone.

Baileywick's entire schedule—no, wait…his entire _life_ revolved around the time… That was the way it had been for him most of his life. Punctuality was part of his personality. However, without the one object that kept him on track, he felt completely helpless.

"Baileywick?"

He turned to see the twins standing behind him, watching him curiously. "Children!"

James grinned. "You look like you just saw a ghost!" he said excitedly, lifting his hands to his vision. "Where is it?"

"James, honestly," Amber scolded with a roll of her eyes. "Can't you see Baileywick is distraught?" Hearing a mumble of an apology from her brother, she moved closer to the older man and smiled gently. "Is something the matter, Baileywick?"

"I'm afraid so…" He sighed and looked back at his watch in dismay. "It's my pocket watch… It's stopped working."

James raised an eyebrow in confusion. "So…what's the big deal? Can't you just get a new one?"

"My father gave this to me as a gift when I first took over as steward."

Amber glared at her brother and pinched him for being so insensitive. She smirked when he made a small sound of pain, and then she looked back at her family friend sympathetically. "I'm so sorry, Baileywick… Perhaps someone can fix it?"

"I'm afraid it's probably impossible, Princess Amber. It is rather old—just like me." He sighed. "Maybe it _is_ time to look into getting a new one after all… I just wish that weren't the case." He moved along, attempting to tend to his duties without the use of impeccable timing.

The blonde girl whirled to her twin, who gasped at her sudden movement. She put a finger to her lips as she looked down in thought. Then she smiled thoughtfully and lifted her eyes to James, who sensed that he was about to be in for an adventure of sorts—and not the kind he liked.

"What?" he asked warily.

"We have to help fix his pocket watch, James. Baileywick is family to us, and it's only right." She grabbed his hand and pulled him along toward the hallway.

"But you heard him, Amber. He said it would be impossible to fix!"

She grinned knowingly. "_Nothing_ is impossible, dear brother, if you know the right people."

"Poor Baileywick," Sofia lamented as her siblings explained the dilemma the castle steward was currently facing. "How did it break?"

"It's probably a thousand years old," James stated with a shrug before retracting his words as Amber shot him a look. "I mean…it happens, Sof."

"So…how can I help?" she wondered as Amber turned toward her with a knowing smile. "What?"

"Well, Sofia… We know you've been studying with Cedric for a while know, so you're bound to have some repair spells, right?"

The auburn-haired girl pondered this before smiling. "Maybe so. I'd have to get the spell from Mr. Cedric, but it's possible. Where is the watch anyway?"

"Baileywick took it with him," James explained with a sigh. "It would be brilliant if we could fix it for him and surprise him." He suddenly grinned. "Hey, there's an idea…"

Sofia looked at him in surprise. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

Amber looked between her siblings. "What? What is he thinking?"

"James, we can't just _steal_ his pocket watch," Sofia chastised.

"Steal?" The oldest in the room turned to her brother with a pointed glare. "I'm with Sofia on this one."

"Oh, come _on_, you two… Do you know a better way of fixing it? Besides, it's like a family heirloom, right? There's no way he's going to just hand it over to three kids, despite the fact that we're totally trustworthy."

Amber rolled her eyes. "The girls, anyway…" She sighed. "I suppose there's no other way. But how are we supposed to get it from him without his knowing?"

Sofia lit up and grinned at the other two. "I have an idea."

"So let me get this straight," Cedric began later on as the three children gathered in his workshop. "You want _me_ to steal Baileywick's pocket watch while Prince James and Princess Amber distract him with some silly excuse of a problem?"

"It wouldn't be stealing, Mr. Cedric," Sofia corrected with a smile. "We're just taking it temporarily to try to fix it so he can be happy again."

Cedric smirked at his apprentice. "Call it what you want, Princess Sofia, but taking something of someone else's without his permission is still stealing. I'm surprised your morals will allow you to do such a thing."

She smiled wryly at his statement and shrugged. "I'm not looking at it like that. I'm looking at it as helping out a friend. So will you help us?" She clasped her hands together. "Please?"

The sorcerer sighed and shrugged. "Oh, very well…" He opened the case nearby and extracted his Family Wand. "Since I can't find my original wand, I suppose I'll have to use this one…" He eyed Sofia. "You haven't seen it, have you?"

Sofia shrugged. "Not recently…"

Amber tugged at James and Sofia, dragging them to the door. "Let's hurry then. Baileywick's shift is almost over, and he'll be going to his rooms afterward. It'll be nearly impossible to do anything at that point."

The quartet reconvened in the kitchen, where Baileywick was instructing some of the workers on how to arrange everything for the meal that night. He looked rather frazzled, as if he couldn't tell if it was actually time for such a thing. He pulled out his pocket watch, willing it to work, and sighed disappointedly when he realized it was still silent. He momentarily placed it on the table in front of him and turned to help one of the workers when she called him over.

Sofia nudged Cedric and pointed at the pocket watch. "Can you levitate it over here?"

"Of course," he replied with a grin. He pointed his wand at the watch and whispered a few words, watching as it lifted up and floated over to them.

Amber reached up and clasped the precious item in her hands. She waved to the others. "Let's hurry before he sees us."

They moved quickly and quietly from the kitchen and back toward the tower.

A few minutes later, Baileywick returned to the table and paled. "Where's my watch?" He threw his hands to his face and groaned in despair. "Honestly, could this day get _any_ worse?"

"So how does this work?" James wondered as he jumped onto one of the stools and leaned right in Cedric's line of sight, blocking him from seeing the pocket watch.

Cedric rolled his eyes and took the object, pulling it away from James's vision. "Well, first of all, Prince James…I have to be able to see it first." He observed the stilled hands and the silent nature of it. He glanced toward Sofia. "I think you can handle this one."

She nodded and reached for her training wand before blinking as Cedric stopped her.

"Wait." He handed her the Family Wand. "Use this."

Sofia gasped in surprise and hesitantly took it from him. "Mr. Cedric…are you sure?"

He smiled patiently. "Positive. If we want it done correctly and in the best manner possible, since clearly you care very much about the outcome, let's use the one wand we know won't mess up."

The princess smiled excitedly, nodding.

James blinked and glanced at his sister. "Any idea what they're talking about?"

Amber shrugged and leaned against the table. "I _never_ know what _they're_ talking about… It must be 'sorcerer' code or something."

Sofia waved the wand over the watch and uttered the words, "_Revertere ad vitam. Restitue tempus._"

A few moments later, the watch resumed its ticking, the life resorted to the precious family heirloom.

Amber smiled happily. "Good job, Sofia!" She nodded toward Cedric. "And you too, Cedric."

Cedric smiled at her. "Thanks, Princess Amber. Now, what are you waiting for? You three had better get this thing back to Baileywick before he has a heart attack once he realizes it's disappeared."

Sofia paused before whispering something to her mentor, who nodded and took the watch and the wand from Sofia.

Cedric pointed it at the back of it and muttered something, watching as words began appearing. He handed it to her. "What do you think?"

Sofia took it and smiled before showing it to her siblings, who also smiled and thanked Cedric before leaving the workshop.

The sorcerer sighed. "Now if only I could find my wand…" He glanced over toward Wormwood's perch and realized he wasn't there. "Wormy?" He looked all around the workshop and couldn't find his companion anywhere. Then he realized he heard muffled cawing and…was that music?

Cedric frowned in curiosity and made his way toward his bedroom, opening the door. He deadpanned at what he saw.

Hearing the door creak open Wormwood froze, Cedric's wand in his talons, as he appeared to be mid-song of a magical playing of "Greensleeves."

"Wormy," Cedric said warningly, folding his arms. "I know you like the classics, but could you at least _ask_ before making me search all over the blooming castle for my wand?"

The raven looked rather guilty as he flew over and dropped the wand in his master's hand. "Whoops."

Cedric rolled his eyes and returned to his original routine.

The prince and princesses arrived in the dining room, seeing that their parents had already been seated for the evening meal. Baileywick stood nearby, watching all of the items being placed properly even though he seemed a bit misplaced.

Sofia handed the pocket watch to Amber and smiled. "Here," she said gently. "This should come from you. It was your idea, after all."

The blonde girl smiled. "Thanks, Sofia." She led them over to Baileywick. "Baileywick?"

"Children?" he asked, looking down at them as they seemed to appear rather happy. "What's going on?"

"We stole your pocket watch!" James announced proudly with a grin plastered on his face.

"James!" Sofia and Amber gasped at him, amazed at his method of breaking news.

"You did what?" Roland asked in astonishment. "Why would you three do such a thing?"

"There was a good reason, Daddy!" Amber interjected with an innocent smile. "Baileywick, we wanted to help fix what was broken, but the only way to do that was to…take it for a little while. We're sorry." She handed him the watch, watching as he lifted it to his ear, listening. "I hope you're not too angry with us."

Baileywick blinked in surprise and smiled lightly. "I can't believe it… You three fixed this for me?"

James nodded excitedly. "Yep! Well, technically, Sofia did most of the fixing, but before that was the whole stealing thing—which, Dad, we totally shouldn't get in trouble for that—"

Amber elbowed him roughly to get him to stop talking and digging them into a deeper hole. "Yes… Yes, we did fix it for you. Of course, Cedric helped and even had this inscribed on the back thanks to Sofia." She turned the watch over in his hands so he could read it better.

_To a faithful steward dear and true_

_We're lucky to have a friend like you_

_We love you, Baileywick._

"Oh, children…" He smiled and seemed to wipe away a small tear of joy. "Thank you. I mean, please don't steal things from me again, causing me to go into a slight panic mode, but thank you."

Sofia smiled guiltily. "Yeah… We didn't mean to make you worry, Baileywick. We'll ask from now on."

"That stealing thing was mostly James's idea anyway," Amber defended, garnering a gaping glance from her brother.

"You're _such_ a good sister," he told her sarcastically, making her smile sweetly.

"Well, I'm glad everything turned out all right," Miranda spoke up, smiling. "Baileywick, since we know you've probably had a rough day, why don't you sit for a while and eat with us?"

"Oh, no, thank you, Your Majesty… I have so much left to finish before the end of the night." He pocketed the watch and smiled. "Though I do thank you very much for the invitation. Since I'm back in business, I can finally end the evening properly. Enjoy your meals." He left the dining room with an extra spring in his step.

Roland smiled toward the kids as they sat down. "That was a very nice thing for you to do for Baileywick," he declared. He then frowned. "But don't let me hear of you stealing again, all right?"

"Yes, Daddy," Amber replied.

"Yes, Dad," James and Sofia echoed.

"Right then! Let's eat!"

The three royal children exchanged smiles before enjoying their food and conversation with their parents.

The end

A/N: Yay! It's finally written! And wow, this ended up being one of my longest—if not _the _ longest—one shot I've written. Yay! :) Hope you enjoyed it, and CedricAmber, I apologize it took so long. Lol. I know you've been looking forward to this for a while. Hope this was worth the wait. Have a great day! ~AquaTurquoise


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